Clouded Laughter #01 — “Does Anyone Know How to Draw a Top?”

October 3rd, 2014

  

“No? Quick! Call the CGI guy!”

Someone has to explain to me at some point why nobody in Japanese animation seems to know how people run. With elbows held out and up, and clawing at the air in front of you is a new one to me, even within anime.

Impressions:

This is another of those cases of trying to be comedy, action, drama, adventure, historical, and hair spray commercial, but ending up splitting its time and focus on each of them in their DESIGNATED GENRE SECTIONS ONLY portions and weakening everything overall. No part is particularly good on its own, and it gives the impression that they’re not sure what it’s supposed to be so are just trying a bunch of things and hoping that something sticks. And since most of the episode is basically “some guys hang around town,” it doesn’t keep things moving or create engaging situations which would stir up the mixture and perhaps let it work. It’s just so much time wasting filler in the bloody first episode.

The action is where it’s worst by far though. The ‘fight’ at the end was just a bunch of stills with speedlines. Not one punch shown thrown, kick shown kicked, or sword shown swung, and this was the exciting emotional triumphant moment of the episode, soon followed by tragic flashback foreshadowing and weeping into his brother’s back out of the sheer depth of his emotions. This is episode 1, people. Maybe leave some room to build so his inevitable cries of anguish aren’t only slightly more anguishful than that time he stubbed his toe? Or is the point that he’s a melodramatic baby? Because I’m not on board for that either. 

Posted in Anime | 1 Comment »

One Lonely Comment

  • Levi says:

    Not a bad first episode so far. This is actually one of the best show I’ve seen so far this season, looking forward to watching more. ^^